Google Nexus tablet: going into production in April?

We've been hearing talk about a Google-branded Nexus tablet for a long time now, but things have slipped up a gear this week thanks to some fresh claims regarding the mythical G-Slate.

According to DisplaySearch analyst Richard Shim, Google's first own-brand tablet will by a 7in affair running Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich – naturally – and could be going into production as soon as April.

Google has never denied being interested in dabbling a toe in tablet hardware waters, but has maintained that such a device would need to be “a tablet of the highest quality”, in other words a prestige release like the trio of Nexus smartphones we've seen so far.

Exactly what “the highest quality” actually means is open to suggestion, of course, but Shim seems to think a 7in screen with a 1280 x 800 resolution will get the job done.

The analyst doesn't give us any other specs to go on, however, so we'll have to reserve final judgement for now, but he does mention that production is set to kick off in April and the initial run will deliver 1.5 million to 2 million units.

Like so many analyst claims, we're not altogether sure what to make of this. There's no disputing that Android tablets have thus far failed to match the appeal of Android smartphones, and Google may feel that a Nexus-branded flag-bearer is just what is needed to kick-start the platform in the tablet market.

Of course, the flipside of that coin is that if Android tablet makers are struggling to sell their hardware as it is, they're not going to be overly impressed by Google muscling in with a tablet of its own and gobbling up what little market share they have.